The entire Chile (non) study tour now seems more complicated than ever. Not only has missing the trip caused me and my classmates an incredible amount of unexpected work, but it has also led to the question of whether to try to go again.
Here’s where we currently stand. The marketing Chile class (my class) has been assigned an extra marketing-related project in lieu of the original trip. More specifically, the assignment is to work as a team of three or four individuals to identify a product or service void in Chile and develop a marketing plan to bring a product or service to Chile in order to fill said void. This assignment was given April 1st and is due May 1st. Not only is this a rather sizeable assignment, but the entire class was forced to form groups by email, very informally. Luckily, I got to know a few of my classmates before the trip, so I was able to join a great group.
For our project, we decided to focus on bringing Lowes hardware stores to Chile. We chose Lowes because Home Depot already has expanded to Chile in very few locations and has made several very significant mistakes upon which we noticed that Lowes could easily capitalize.
So thankfully it looks like we have the right recipe for successfully completing the class, but others in my class were definitely not as fortunate. Furthermore, in speaking with Kim, corporate social responsibility Chile class (my class’ counterpart) is tasked with designing a case study about an ethical issue in Chile; a country that they’ve never been to!
In addition to the newfound homework burden, the idea of a re-trip to Chile is now being discussed. Thankfully, everyone in both classes was eventually refunded all of the money toward the Chile class, less the tuition fee. So why not go?
Well, as it turns out, it’s now going to cost an estimated $600 more to attempt to go again for several reasons, mainly because the trip would have to leave during the height of the Chilean tourist season. Furthermore, the trip would still include all aspects of the study tour (company visits, meetings with MBA alums, etc.), but the trip would not actually count for any class credit.
Personally, I am all for going, even if I have to pay another $600 and wake up every morning at 7am to attend a site visit at a Chilean business. From everything I’ve heard, the experience far outweighs any negatives that have come up in previous years. I’ve already completed all of the preparation work in order to immerse myself in Chilean culture to the fullest. I can’t really see why I wouldn’t go, honestly. Hopefully the required minimum 16 students agree to try again in January, I know it would be an unforgettable experience.
It is very unfortunate that the trip to Chile never took place. I have never been, but I keep hearing wonderful things about the country and specially the people. If you get the chance to go, just do it! I know i would..
ReplyDeleteI hope everything works out for you guys. I just sent my application for the trip to Prague this summer. I still dont know if I got accepted into the class, but I do I certainly hope we dont have any issues getting there.